When you feel so strongly about something and other people feel equally strongly, you have to feel stronger about it in order to succeed.
Joan ChenActing for me is not a bad habit like smoking that I must make an effort to quit. I love acting; I love directing.
Joan ChenThe difference between me and American-born actors is that I came here with the expectation of not being treated fairly.
Joan ChenAll Asian parents are into your children having a respectable, decent stable job. Acting was unimaginable to my parents.
Joan ChenThere are a lot of stereotypes to be broken which I think a lot of us are doing. What I do is, as soon as people try to pin me down to one kind of part, I'll play a very different kind of role, so it explodes that stereotype.
Joan ChenHistorically and culturally the Mongol women were very strong, they contributed as much as the men to their society, their community. Other than upper body strength, I think they were equal to the men. To compensate for the lesser upper body strength they had to be smarter, they had to think more, they had to consider things more carefully.
Joan Chen